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Pearl Bailey‌

Gender

Female

Birthday

calendar1918-03-29

Popularity

star2.2

Pearl Bailey

Newport News, Virginia, USA

Pearl Bailey

Newport News, Virginia, USA

Gender

Female

Birthday

calendar1918-03-29

Popularity

star2.2

Biography

Pearl Mae Bailey, born in Virginia on March 29, 1918, was an American actress and singer. Bailey began by singing and dancing in Philadelphia’s black nightclubs in the 1930s, and soon started performing in other parts of the East Coast. In 1941, during World War II, Bailey toured the country with the USO, performing for American troops. After the tour, she settled in New York. Her solo successes as a nightclub performer were followed by acts with such entertainers as Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington. In 1946, Bailey made her Broadway debut in St. Louis Woman. Bailey continued to tour and record albums in between her stage and screen performances. Her rendition of "Takes Two to Tango" hit the top ten in 1952. On November 19, 1952, Bailey married jazz drummer Louie Bellson in London. They adopted a child, Tony, in the mid-1950s, and subsequently a girl, Dee Dee J. Bellson, born April 20, 1960. In 1954, she took the role of Frankie in the film version of Carmen Jones, and her rendition of "Beat Out That Rhythm on the Drum" is one of the highlights of the film. She also starred in the Broadway musical House of Flowers. In 1959, she played the role of Maria in the film version of Porgy and Bess, starring Sidney Poitier and Dorothy Dandridge. Also that year, she played the role of "Aunt Hagar" in the movie St. Louis Blues, alongside Mahalia Jackson, Eartha Kitt, and Nat King Cole. Though she was originally considered for the part of Annie Johnson in the 1959 film Imitation of Life, the part went to Juanita Moore. A passionate fan of the New York Mets, Bailey sang the national anthem at Shea Stadium prior to game 5 of the 1969 World Series, and appears in the Series highlight film showing her support for the team. She also sang the national anthem prior to game 1 of the 1981 World Series between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers at Yankee Stadium. Bailey, a Republican, was appointed by President Richard Nixon as America's "Ambassador of Love" in 1970. She attended several meetings of the United Nations and later appeared in a campaign ad for President Gerald Ford in the 1976 election. Also during the 1970s she had her own television show, and she also provided voices for animations such as Tubby the Tuba (1976) and Disney's The Fox and the Hound (1981). She returned to Broadway in 1975, playing the lead in an all-black production of Hello, Dolly!. At age 67, she earned a B.A. in theology from GeorgetownUniversity in Washington, D.C., in 1985. Later in her career, Bailey was a fixture as a spokesperson in a series of Duncan Hines commercials, singing "Bill Bailey (Won't You Come Home)". In her later years Bailey wrote several books: The Raw Pearl (1968), Talking to Myself (1971), Pearl's Kitchen (1973), and Hurry Up America and Spit (1976). In 1975 she was appointed special ambassador to the United Nations by President Gerald Ford. Her last book, Between You and Me (1989), details her experiences with higher education. In 1988 Bailey received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Ronald Reagan. On August 17, 1990, Bailey died of heart condition. She is buried at RollingGreenMemorial Park in West Chester, Pennsylvania. During her lifetime, she won a Tony Award for the title role in the all-black production of Hello, Dolly! in 1968. In 1986, she won a Daytime Emmy award for her performance as a fairy godmother in the ABC Afterschool Special, Cindy Eller: A Modern Fairy Tale.

Movie Credits

Porgy and Bess

Porgy and Bess‌
star6.2
calendar 1959

The Fox and the Hound

The Fox and the Hound‌
star7.1
calendar 1981

The Landlord

The Landlord‌
star5.8
calendar 1970

Carmen Jones

Carmen Jones‌
star5.9
calendar 1954

Cindy Eller: A Modern Fairy Tale

Cindy Eller: A Modern Fairy Tale‌
star0.0
calendar 1985

Norman... Is That You?

Norman... Is That You?‌
star5.3
calendar 1976

Peter Gunn

Peter Gunn‌
star4.6
calendar 1989

All the Fine Young Cannibals

All the Fine Young Cannibals‌
star5.3
calendar 1960

Variety Girl

Variety Girl‌
star6.1
calendar 1947

That Certain Feeling

That Certain Feeling‌
star5.3
calendar 1956

Isn't It Romantic?

Isn't It Romantic?‌
star7.0
calendar 1948

Satan Claus

Satan Claus‌
star9.0
calendar 2010

Tubby the Tuba

Tubby the Tuba‌
star0.0
calendar 1975

The Ultimate Collection Starring Johnny Carson - The Best of the 60s and 70s

The Ultimate Collection Starring Johnny Carson - The Best of the 60s and 70s‌
star0.0
calendar 2002

The Member of the Wedding

The Member of the Wedding‌
star5.0
calendar 1982

Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life

Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life‌
star0.0
calendar 1981

Bing Crosby: Rediscovered

Bing Crosby: Rediscovered‌
star7.0
calendar 2014

TV in Black: The First Fifty Years

TV in Black: The First Fifty Years‌
star4.0
calendar 2004

St. Louis Blues

St. Louis Blues‌
star7.8
calendar 1958

The World of Nat King Cole

The World of Nat King Cole‌
star0.0
calendar 2004

Great Broadway Musical Moments from the Ed Sullivan Show

Great Broadway Musical Moments from the Ed Sullivan Show‌
star0.0
calendar 2003

Carol Channing and Pearl Bailey: On Broadway

Carol Channing and Pearl Bailey: On Broadway‌
star8.0
calendar 1969

Passing the Baton: The Making of The Fox and the Hound

Passing the Baton: The Making of The Fox and the Hound‌
star6.0
calendar 2003

Night of 100 Stars

Night of 100 Stars‌
star6.0
calendar 1982

Tv Credits

The Love Boat

The Love Boat‌
star6.3
calendar 1977

Donny & Marie

Donny & Marie‌
star6.5
calendar 1976

The Ed Sullivan Show

The Ed Sullivan Show‌
star6.5
calendar 1948

The Muppet Show

The Muppet Show‌
star8.0
calendar 1976

Your Show of Shows

Your Show of Shows‌
star5.5
calendar 1950

The Flip Wilson Show

The Flip Wilson Show‌
star4.8
calendar 1970

The Dinah Shore Chevy Show

The Dinah Shore Chevy Show‌
star4.0
calendar 1956

The Steve Allen Show

The Steve Allen Show‌
star4.0
calendar 1956

The Oscars

The Oscars‌
star7.0
calendar 1953

The Mike Douglas Show

The Mike Douglas Show‌
star4.8
calendar 1961

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson‌
star7.4
calendar 1962

The Ed Sullivan Show

The Ed Sullivan Show‌
star6.5
calendar 1948

The Pearl Bailey Show

The Pearl Bailey Show‌
star0.0
calendar 1971

The Big Party

The Big Party‌
star0.0
calendar 1959

The Carol Burnett Show

The Carol Burnett Show‌
star7.5
calendar 1967

Tony Awards

Tony Awards‌
star5.0
calendar 1956

Tony Awards

Tony Awards‌
star5.0
calendar 1956

The Dick Cavett Show

The Dick Cavett Show‌
star6.6
calendar 1968

What's My Line?

What's My Line?‌
star6.6
calendar 1950

The Danny Kaye Show

The Danny Kaye Show‌
star6.3
calendar 1963

The Mike Douglas Show

The Mike Douglas Show‌
star4.8
calendar 1961

The Mike Douglas Show

The Mike Douglas Show‌
star4.8
calendar 1961